Can we say momentum swing?
Wow. There is 5 minutes left in Game #6 of the Stanley Cup Finals and all I can say is wow. Here are some thoughts regarding the game and its impact on the series.
Wow, the Canes look…wait, are they even out there on the ice? I think they all may be hiding in the penalty box.
And I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who thought Carolina’s coach looked like he was gonna explode - it reminded me of those looney tune cartoons…
Seriously, how many penalties are those Hurricanes gonna take? Gosh. There were 10 total penalties for the Canes, 4 apiece in the second and third periods. The Oilers had 7 penalties.
Edmonton 4, Carolina 3 (OT)
Man, I hate the Oilers. First, they spoil the Wings regular season perfection with a first round exit. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Pisani scores shorthanded on a breakaway in OT in Carolina where they could’ve won the Cup tonight. Blast those Oilers.
Random comments about this series…
- I am so enjoying watching this series. Tonight’s game was fantastic with all the big hits and scoring (in part due to the 20 bazillion penalties). I actually got every single person in my family to watch the game. My youngest brother and Mom don’t watch hockey unless its the Wings in the playoffs or I take my brother to a Plymouth Whalers game (OHL). It’s been fun to watch.
- I’m actually starting to care. I didn’t think it would be possible for me to want a team other than the Wings to win it this bad. I’m yelling at the TV, clapping, sitting here freaking out like I did during the Wings series (except not quite as bad). Plus, you add the OT element and it’s perfect playoff action (made me think of the 2002 triple OT with Larionov’s beauty). Plus, it doesn’t hurt that everytime Ray Whitney is near the puck, I go all crazy hoping he gets the game winner. I want to win that challenge at Kukla’s Korner so I can save some money on a Kronwall jersey. 
- It’s really nice to watch two teams with so much passion and aggression and fire. And actually their fans too. I realize it is obviously farther in the playoffs, but the Wings vs. Oilers series seems so lackluster in comparison. The Joe was embarassingly quiet - both the Rexall and RBC crowd would put us to shame.
- Plus, who doesn’t like reading Alanah @ VCOE attemps to “liveblog?” Between not knowing if she wants the Oilers to win or not, the drinking, and her humorous self - the liveblog entries are always a favorite of mine. I really don’t know what I’d do without her funny game comments…
- I think I may have enjoyed this game so much because I had been pain medication free since Friday night. I’ve taken Vicodin (1-4 pills daily) since January 2005 and went 5 whole days without anything this past week. Let’s just say it’s been an incredibly long 5 days. But I’ve had a really painful 24 hours so I got to take something tonight and somehow Vike and hockey makes the world go round.
- And you got to give the Oilers credit, they never give up. Between losing their starting goaltender in the first game and being down in the series, they just keep chugging along - very admirable.
Blogging the SCF Game #2
I had planned on liveblogging the entire game, but silly Blogger was down for the first 12 minutes of the first period. So I’m not technically liveblogging, but I’ll be posting my thoughts throughout the game.
- Man this game started off on such a quick pace! It wasn’t in a single end longer than another. The puck literally went from one end to the other and back again. Let me tell you, this makes the game so exciting and intense (at least for me)! What’s so surprising for me is that with 6:04 left in the game, there has only been a total of 11 shots (Carolina - 6, Edmonton 5). It certainly seems like it’s higher than that with the fast pace; it must be so low because of all the blocked shots.
- Jussi Markkanen is Edmonton’s starting goaltender tonight, as expected.
- Andrew Ladd scored 6:21 into the first on a 2-on-1 with Eric Staal and Frantisek Kaberle earning the assists. The puck deflected off of defenseman Bergeron’s skate. The goal came right after the Hurricanes finished a very successful penalty kill with numerous key blocks and Carolina goaltender Cam Ward staying solid.
- I really like the My Stanley Cup commercials, especially compared to the stupid My NHL ones. And being the Tour de France nut that I am, I cannot wait for July 1st. Too bad Lance Armstrong won’t be in it this year, my money is on Ivan Basso but I’ll be cheering for either Floyd Landis or George Hincappie.
End of First Period - Carolina 1, Edmonton 0
- Defenseman Kaberle scored a nice goal while on the power play to give the Hurricanes a two goal lead. It was the Oilers third penalty of the period, fourth overall. In part because of the Oilers penalties, play has been in Edmonton’s end for good chunk of the period.
- The crowd seems to be pretty loud, even louder than Monday’s game.
- With 2.4 seconds left in the second, Stillman takes a nice backhand shot after a deflection (or two?) to make it 3-0.
- Sorry, I’ve gotten this killer headache so I’ll just post if something really important happens. Be sure to check out the offensive scoresheet at NHL.com.
End of Second Period - Carolina 3, Edmonton 0
- With 17:39 left, Doug Weight deflected the puck into the net with his stick (his skate deflected the puck to the blade of Weight’s stick). It’s the Canes game to lose. Shots are tied at 19 shots apiece. The Canes now have a four goal lead.
- Recchi made a nice deflection off of a shot from somewhere along the blue line (?) to get the Canes fifth goal 4:12 into the third. It marked the Canes third power play goal tonight.
- I think PM at Covered in Oil needs to stop watching this game before he kills himself. Trust me, I want the Canes to win, but I’d rather have a close hockey game. It’s not looking good tonight for the Oilers…
- The game is over and the rest of the SCF games will be on NBC. Congrats to the Canes and all there fans!
End of the Third Period: Carolina 5, Edmonton 0
Series: Carolina leads, 2-0.
Enjoying the finals
I missed the last round or so of NHL playoff action because I was watching my Pistons in the NBA tourney, but they’re out so I’m back to hockey. I missed the first half of tonight’s game due to a meeting, but I am so enjoying the second half of tonight’s game! I don’t have the gut wrenching feelings I did the last time I watched the Oilers play and derail my Wings dreams. I can actually enjoy the series with nothing to gain/lose. Although, I’d gladly take that feeling to be at the Joe watching the Wings play right about now…wishful thinking on my part.
I turned on the TV, it’s 3-0 and the Oilers are up. With 10 minutes left in the game, it’s 4-3 and the Canes are leading! Plus, former Wing Ray Whitney scored two of the four goals. I’ve always liked him although he wasn’t the best fit with the Wings. I’m glad to see him succeed with another team. In Kukla’s Korner challenge, I picked Whitney to score the series clenching goal.
The fourth goal came on a breakaway while the Hurricanes were shorthanded - impressive! Cam Ward has been fantastic and really kept the team in the game. Oh my word! I can’t believe Ward just made that save on Horcoff - that was absolutely amazing!
Blast that Hemsky and his tying the game up. They showed the Rexall crowd before the goal and it looked so quiet. That’s not the case anymore!
Uh oh, Roloson seems to be struggling to put weight on his right side of his body. Boy that really sucks for Edmonton. I would not want any harm to come to Rollie, he’s played pretty well this postseason and if the Oilers were to win, I’d want Rollie to be playing between the pipes. Good luck to his replacement, Ty Conklin, who has to prevent the Canes from getting the lead.
90 seconds left in the third, come on Canes! I’m getting a feeling that slightly resembles the playoff rush. I love that feeling.
Wooo! There was a big mess up behind the net and the Canes captain, Rod Brind’Amour, was there to tap it in in a wraparound method to get goal #5 with 30 seconds left in the game. And the Canes win Game #1 - woohoo! Mmk, I have to get up really early so I can get to Cincinnati for my 10:30 one month post-op appointment. I probably won’t be able to post at all tomorrow so I’ll see ya on Wednesday!
Alanah at VCOE had some humorous observations in her non-liveblogging post that seemed an awful lot like a slightly delayed liveblog.
9:00 - Oh GOD that was fun!! Williams scores, for Carolina, terrorizes Roli stick side! I feel like celebrating. Go Canes! (Honestly, I DO find it more fun cheering for Carolina. Sometimes it pisses me off that Edmonton is going to win this series.)
6:20? - Hemsky, Hemsky, Hemsky. Those freaking European supporters will be making SUCH a fuss about this guy now. (*Sigh*) And here I just thought he was lucky. (Not really. That was a pretty goal, actually.)
3:50 - I just noticed that Conklin was in the game. I also just noticed that the score was tied. It’s possible that I’m really not very good at liveblogging. (Good thing this isn’t actually liveblogging, huh?)
Update: Apparently, Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish announced in a press conference following the game, “He [Roloson] will not be back in this series.” Man that sucks. It sucks for Roloson who worked so hard to get to the finals only to have his knee blow out. It sucks because knees suck [and I can say that from personal experience]. It sucks for the Oilers because they now have to rely on a backup and one that Oilers bloggers do not have much faith in. And it sucks for the Canes because if they win, the excuse will be Roloson’s knee injury. Poor Rollie.
NHL Playoffs - Round 2
I haven’t been able to watch any of the second round games because my TV doesn’t work in my room and I’m on bedrest right now. Anyways, I had picked Carolina to make it into the finals so I don’t care much about the Eastern Conference playoffs. I find it very interesting that the Western Conference top four seeds failed to make it into the second round - ouch.Edmonton Oilers vs. San Jose Sharks
I just don’t want the Oilers to go onto the next round; they made my surgery recovery a lot suckier! And yes, I’m bitter. It’ll be interesting to see how the Thornton/Pronger matchup works out in future games. The Wings didn’t have any problems with the Sharks (aside from the one game after the Olympics when we were missing all our Swedes) because Lidstrom and the rest of the defense were able to shut down Thornton, which apparently is the key to the game’s score result. Here’s some thoughts on this series from around the blogosphere…
Jon @ Sharkspage: Sharks in 6
Earlier in the season when asked how he would prepare for a specific opponent, Sharks head coach Ron Wilson said “I don’t care. They are going to have to prepare for us.” San Jose is going to roll Cheechoo-Thornton and the MBB line with an air of confidence that they can not be stopped. The Sharks have to focus on staying out of the penalty box, and putting forth a solid 60 minute effort each night. Edmonton will have to get on the board early, and apply constant pressure on offense.If the Oilers build a lead and let the penalties stack up for S.J., they could edge the Sharks in a seven game series. On the other hand, if both coaches roll 4 lines and let the players fly on the ice, this could be the most entertaining series in the playoffs for sheer speed and offensive ability. More likely, phantom slashes and trips will result in a parade to the penalty box and a lack of 5-on-5 play.
Sacamano @ Battle of Alberta: Edmonton in 6
It looks to me like the Oil have the advantage on the back end and in net, but that San Jose has some pretty good scorers. In other words, it looks an awful lot like the last series. Calculator has all the numbers, and they pretty much confirm that the two teams are pretty well matched and it is going to be a heckuva series.Conditioning might also play a factor as the Eggheads at the NHL head office again gave Edmonton a bizarre schedule — back to back Sunday/Monday games, and three games in four nights. I’m not sure what to think of this. Detroit seemed to have more jump than Edmonton in the OT periods, but in the short-rest afternoon games, Edmonton ran the show.
Mudcrutch79 @ mc79hockey.com: Edmonton in 6
The other way? If the hockey gods are against Edmonton. This series is close enough that I figure it comes down to whoever gets the bounces, with a possible slight edge to the Oilers based on their goaltending (which should hopefully nullify the Sharks apparently superior ES offence) and penalty kill. After witnessing the third period of the sixth game against Detroit (not to mention the Flames’ humiliating home ice exit from the playoffs), I believe that the Gods are with the Oilers. Edmonton in six. I would have said five, but if the Flames have taught us anything with the asskicking that they took in front of what was apparently a crowd of 19,000 mimes on Wednesday night after their fans insufferable behaviour since their team choked the Cup away in 2003-04, it’s that the Gods hate hubris.
James Mirtle: Edmonton in 6
Much like in the Ottawa-Buffalo series, the Sharks simply don’t have anyone on the blueline who is even close to the calibre of blueliner as Chris Pronger. What I expect coach Craig MacTavish will do is task Pronger with neutralizing Joe Thornton, which would go a long, long way to crimping the Sharks goal scoring. At the other end, Sharks coach Ron Wilson will lean heavily on Scott Hannan and Kyle McLaren, as his remaining four defenders are all very inexperienced. What the Oilers need to do is work the forecheck on this team, press hard and generate the kind of shovel-garbage goals they got in the Detroit series. Vesa Toskala has been phenomenal in the Sharks net since February, and Dwayne Roloson needs to match his first-round performance.
Anaheim vs. Colorado
As a loyal Wings fan, I hate the Avs. Ever since the rivalry, I root for anyone playing against the Avs - even if that means I root for the Mighty Ducks. Seemingly, there aren’t very many Anaheim and Colorado blogs…James Mirtle: Anaheim in 6
One of the great secrets of this Ducks team is how strong defensively its forward core is. Sam Pahlsson, Rob Niedermayer and Todd Marchant all played more than 17 minutes a game in their first-round series, and it’ll be that trio that tries to key on Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk and Alex Tanguay. Colorado hardly generated any offence from anyone outside of their top four forwards in the first round, which should make it easy for the Ducks to key on those players. Much like the Calgary series, this will be a low-scoring affair, and Jose Theodore is going to really have to hold the fort and now allow any bad goals.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
These groupings are based on how the rest of the team performed and in comparison to what they are capable of doing from the regular season’s performances.
The Good
- Steve Yzerman: He may only have had 4 assists in the four games he played this series and a -2 rating, he was out there working harder than the rest of the team in a desperate attempt to reach the second round. A torn rib muscle (ouch) sidelined him for Game #4 and Game #5. Most people expect him to retire in the next week or two; Wings fans hope he plays for one more season. If he does retire, I had the honor to watch him play in his last game at the Joe (Sunday, Game #2) since he did not play the last time the Wings were at the Joe, Game #5.
“You’re so wrapped up in the game, and then they score with a minute to go, I don’t really have a whole lot of thoughts other than, it just came to a quick end,” said Yzerman, who turns 41 next week and is the longest-serving captain in NHL history. “As far as my personal situation, it’s best to wait a few days, then I can pretty much make a quick decision.”It’s amazing that such a long career — 22 seasons, all in Detroit — actually could end so quickly. The spirit is always willing but Yzerman’s body, ravaged by injury and time, has betrayed him often, and that’s likely to be the deciding factor.
- Henrik Zetterberg: Hank had twice as many goals as the second highest Detroit goal scorer with 6 goals. He had 2 PIM, 0 assists, a -2 rating, and four power play goals. Zetterberg appeared to be one of the few who saw Yzerman’s vision and played at that same level. Whenever Yzerman retires, I would really consider making this guy the new captain.- Robert Lang: Sure he may not have been all that amazing during the regular season, but he’s one of the few Wings who actually picked up their play. He had three goals and three assists (6 points), 2 PIM, and -2 rating. Two of his goals came while on the power play. He also won 55% of his face-offs.
- Kris Draper: Draper is never going to lead the team in scoring, that’s not his purpose on this team. He may not have earned a single point this series, but was one of five players to actually have a + rating (Draper: +3). And in the elimination game, Draper was out there grinding away.
- Kirk Maltby: I actually noticed Maltby in the postseason. He scored two goals in Game #1, including the game winning goal in 2OT. He also had one assist for three total points this series. Like Draper, he was out there trying to generate chances.
- Chris Chelios: How is this 44 year old defenseman playing better defense than guys half his age? He played with more passion and just plain better skill than many of the other defensemen. He had zero points, 6 PIM, and a +2 rating.
The Bad
- Pavel Datsyuk: What is with Datsyuk in the postseason? I realize he had an injury and needed to catch up, but not even one little goal? Datsyuk got three assists in the five games he played. He had 0 PIM and a 0 +/- rating. Aside from some decent scoring chances and nice set up plays to Zetterberg (who would then score), Datsyuk wasn’t so hot this series. When you lead your team in points, I expect at least one goal in the playoffs.
- Nick Lidstrom: What happened to Lidstrom, Mr. Norris? After a fantastic year with some high offensive numbers, Lidstrom gets two points (one goal, one assist), 2 PIM, and a -4 rating. -4! His one goal (the controversial “pick” goal) came on the power play and was also the game winning goal.
- Mathieu Schneider: Surprisingly (at least in my opinion) was the fact that one of our defenseman actually led the team in points this series. Schneider had 8 points (1 goal, 7 assists). He also had 6 PIM and a -1 rating. He didn’t look too sharp this series; I’m not sure how much had to do with just returning from a groin injury that looked like it hadn’t even healed yet.
“We came out and did the things in the third period we didn’t want to do,” defenseman Mathieu Schneider said. “We didn’t play well enough to win. We put ourselves in this position. The only thing that would have made this a successful season was to win the Stanley Cup.”
- Manny Legace: Ah yes, the goaltender always gets blamed upon for the loss. Well, I don’t think Legace was the primary reason for our loss (our team just had a total and complete meltdown). He played decent and even had some strong saves (as well as allowing some pathetic goals). But we needed him to be great. It’s looking like Legace can’t handle the pressure of being the starting goaltender in the playoffs. Plus his constant whining about his teammates did not help the matter. In this series, Legace had a 2.65 GAA and a .884 save percentage. His opponent’s goalie, Dwayne Roloson, played these six games and ended with a 2.50 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
Manny Legace, who took the defeat hard in his first playoffs as a No. 1 goalie, summed up his mood, and possibly some of his teammates. “I feel like going out and hanging myself,” Legace said. “I really feel hollow inside.”On the winning goal, Legace said, “I didn’t even see (Hemsky). I thought it was a one-and-one and (Samsonov) threw it across and bang, he was there.”
- Brendan Shanahan: For having so much experience and actually reviving his game in the regular season, what happened? He had 40+ goals during this season and could only manage one goal and one assist in this playoff series. I wonder what he’ll do this off-season: retire? Or will Holland offer a significantly reduced contract?
“We were in such control, and then to give it away like that, it’s just embarrassing,” Brendan Shanahan said. “It summed up the whole series. We were playing great hockey, playing great hockey, and then it was a 6-7 minute collapse. Who has an answer for that?”
The Ugly
- Jason Williams: He had two points this series (1 goal, 1 assist) and that’s all the good he did in the past six games. I like the guy, I’ve personally interviewed him and whatnot. But he had so many errors (-3 rating) that really impacted the game and series. His stupid penalty caused a power play allowing the Oilers to tie it up in the elimination game. The Wings need to get rid of him - I don’t care if we have to send him to Grand Rapids, we cannot afford his mistakes and he has too many of them.- Andreas Lilja: He had one assist and a -4 rating. Yikes. His poor defensive coverage resulted in numerous goals at critical points in the game. Unfortunately, Holland recently signed him to a 2 year, 2 million dollar deal. I don’t have much else to say aside from yikes.
- Mikael Samuelsson: He’s been streaky all year and then the Wings go and sign him to a bloody three year deal! He had one assist, -1 rating, and 6 PIM (4 of which came in the elimination game). Why did Holland not wait until the postseason to sign Samuelsson to a contract? Why?
Mediocre
I’m not going to detail this guys; they weren’t bad/ugly but they weren’t good either.
- Tomas Holmstrom (3 points, 6 PIM, -1 rating)
- Johan Franzen (3 points, 4 PIM, 0 rating)
- Niklas Kronwall (3 points, 2 PIM, 0 rating)
- Dan Cleary (1 point, 6 PIM, +2 rating)
- Brett Lebda (0 points, 4 PIM, +3 rating)
+/- Rating
Only five Detroit players actually had a + rating in this series: Draper, Maltby, Chelios, Lebda, and Cleary.
Thank You
I’d like to thank all my readers for checking out my blog, especially during the postseason. I enjoy writing for BtJ and I plan to continue doing so over the summer and into the 2006-2007 regular season. I appreciated your comments on games, signings, and other random stuff I have posted on in the past.
I will not have internet connection while I’m in Cincinnati for surgery. So until I return home and feel up to posting (either Thursday night or later), there will be no further updates on this blog. Please check out Abel to Yzerman, On the Wings, and Kukla’s Korner for any Wings updates or playoff reactions during the next week. Also check out the blogs that I’ve linked to on the right side of this page for comments on playoff action around the league. Thanks again!
Game #6: Oilers 4, Wings 3
Pregame
- The Captain is playing in tonight’s game. Knowing that Steve Yzerman will be playing makes me feel a whole lot better about the game today. Obviously he’s going to be in pain, but hopefully that will inspire the Wings into action. It will be Yzerman’s 196th playoff game; his experience and passion will certainly be an asset.
Those are the types of performances that define Yzerman, who usually saves his best for the biggest games. He has become comfortable in the suffocating atmosphere that is the chase for the Stanley Cup. He has learned to push the inevitable butterflies to the side and attack these games with the steely eyed determination necessary to make a personal impact as well as set the tone for his team.”Early in my career, (I’d) be extremely nervous, where I found myself always extremely nervous without a lot of experience,” said Yzerman. “I found in the last few years I’ve just gotten much more comfortable and you kind of know what to expect and you know what it’s all about.”
- We must get the first couple goals in order to establish our style of play. We also cannot afford stupid defensive errors and Lidstrom needs to be on fire tonight! Manny can’t be average - he needs to be great or amazing for this series to head back to Detroit on Wednesday. The Oilers are going to be flying today with their crazy loud Rexall crowd behind them.- The Wings have over 1600 playoff game experience among the roster; let’s use that veteran experience and knowledge to our advantage.
- I would get such joy in seeing the Wings score a goal while Pronger was in the box. I just can’t believe he has 0 PIM this series - very impressive.
First Period
- The first three minutes provided numerous opportunities for the Wings from the likes of Henrik Zetterberg, Kris Draper, and Pavel Datsyuk. (Shots: 4-1 in favor of Detroit)
- Oilers get the first power play. Blast it. Mikael Samuelsson is heading to the box with 15:41 left in the first thanks to his hooking ability. The Oilers are 6/31 on the PP this series…The Wings were able to successfully kill this penalty.
- The PP gave the Oilers some momentum and have had some nice scoring chances of their own. (Shots: 6-4 in favor of Edmonton)
- Mathieu Schneider was called for high sticking so the Oilers go on the power play, again. Crap crap crap. Manny made a couple key saves and Maltby blocked the last shot of the PP. This penalty was also successfully killed by the Wings. (Shots: 12-6 in favor of Edmonton)
- Zetterberg scores!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Steals the puck from Spacek (who had intercepted a Samuelsson pass) and dekes Roloson to get his 6th goal of the postseason at 14:36 into the first. Lilja was also given the assist. It’s the second time this series that the Wings have scored first. When was the last game? Game #1. Wings 1, Oilers 0
- Samuelsson is going to the penalty box. Twice in one period! Ugh. Way to get the assist, but the Oilers are going to score on the power play - it’s only a matter of time. We don’t want to give them 25 million chances tonight. We can’t afford this.
- Draper and Maltby had a great shorthanded chance on the penalty kill. The two went 2 on 1, but Roloson made the save.
- Chris Pronger *finally* got a penalty for interference (17:09 into the first)! Woohoo! So it’s 4 on 4 for 1:20 minutes and then we’ll get 40 seconds with the man advantage. It’s just very comforting to know that Pronger won’t be on the ice during this time.
- Neither team scored on their respective power plays.
- Obviously, I would’ve liked a two goal lead but at least we have a lead. And Manny has been reasonably solid tonight.
End of First Period: Wings 1, Oilers 0
(Edmonton outshot Detroit, 15-10)
Second Period
- Apparently Cheli blocked a shot and hasn’t played this period, yet. Don’t know any more information than that. (a little less than 4 minutes into the second)
- Spacek called for hooking Robert Lang (15:06 left in second). Lets go Wings! Man…Tomas Holmstrom called for interference - this sucks. 1:36 of 4 on 4 hockey then a short Oilers power play. No goals scored.
- Shots favor Detroit, 5-1. Roloson just made a big save on Dan Cleary. Roloson has been playing pretty well tonight.
- Chelios is finally back in (9:20 left).
- Yzerman hit the goalpost making it two hit goalposts hit in 6 minutes. Craziness! I’m liking what I’m seeing - they aren’t in their typical second period slump.
- Mickey Redmond: “You gotta say it’s the Dwayne Roloson show.”
- Pronger is going back in the penalty box thanks to a high sticking penalty. After winning the face-off, Yzerman makes a sweet pass to Robert Lang (to the left of Roloson) after receiving the pass from Lang (who got it from Schneider). Lang scores!!!!!!!!!!! What did I say about how sweet it’d be with Pronger in the box and a Wings goal? Goal came 14:02 into the second period while on the power play. Wings 2, Oilers 0
- Wings have outshot the Oilers, 10-1, this period. The Wings must keep up this intensity; we cannot afford to become lax and make costly errors.
- Yzerman has been coming out to take the face-offs and then go to the bench. Yzerman has been looking fantastic today - the Captain certainly is something else!
- I love this comment from someone on the Lets Go Wings forum: “Man, any more whining by the Oilers fans in the arena, and they might as well start handing out free pacifiers.” I thought Horcoff really was offsides, sharp call by the officials.
- Another great LGW comment about the Captain: “I think I’ve run out of words to describe how much I appreciate Steve Yzerman these days. What he’s done tonight (in the second period especially) on that back of his is just amazing.”
End of Second Period: Wings 2, Edmonton 0
(Detroit outshot Edmonton, 17-2)
Third Period
- For a change, we’re actually seeing the Wings actually playing like themselves. Let’s just hope that they can keep this up in the third and make it 3-0 or 4-0!
- Jason Williams took an incredibly stupid penalty; it didn’t save us from a potential goal and it had no value whatsoever. Oilers PP starts with 17:17 left. And 13 seconds into the PP, Fernando Pisani scores at 2:56 into the second. He scored off of Ryan Smyth’s rebound. We cannot take stupid penalties - ugh. The Wings must rebound from this; we cannot hand the momentum over to the Oilers after we’ve dominated for most of the game. Wings 2, Oilers 1
- We cannot lose our composure. We still have a lead, but we won’t for long at this rate of stupidity.
- Brett Lebda got injured and went off to the bench - from the quick look at Lebda, it appears to be shoulder related. Edit: He is now back on the ice.
- Wow, the Wings have only spent 4 nights at home. While the Oilers have been in Edmonton eight nights. So much for home ice advantage.
- Pisani makes a nice deke to tie the game up at two and get his second goal of the game with 13:20 left in the third. Crap. The Oilers have momentum and the Wings were playing so well in the first two periods. Ahhh. I’m panicking now; we need to go on a PP or something and get some offensive opportunities. Wings 2, Oilers 2
- Kronwall is tripped and the Wings go on the power play with 12:08 left. We have to score here to get some of the momentum and back in the game. Plus it would be nice to quiet the Rexall Crowd - man they are loud! Couple good chances in the PP, but no goal.
- Wooo!! Johan Franzen drills it into the net with 9:53 left in the third for his first goal of the postseason (and the career). Cleary and Maltby were given credit for the assists. Wings 3, Oilers 2
- Lebda has now left for the training room. Shots are now even at 5 apiece.
- Crap. Oilers will go on the power play. Please let the Wings kill this penalty - ahh. Dan Cleary called for interference. You can see Yzerman giving some words of advice to his teammates and then winning the face-off.
- Man! The Oilers bloody scored. Manny is arguing about the call. Please no goal. Please! Crap - not looking good. There was a high stick in the play - that should’ve been called before. This sucks! Oh wait, there was a kicking motion by Hemsky’s left foot, will they notice that? There was a high stick and kicking motion - ahhh. Wings 3, Oilers 3
- That was an awful awful awful call. The goal should not have stood and I’m bloody pissed off. The Wings better be angry too and respond! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I don’t understand how that could be a goal. I realize they couldn’t rule no goal because of a high stick, but the refs should’ve made that bloody call before Hemsky even started kicking. Absolutely fricking ridiculous.
- Hemsky scores with 1:06 left in regulation. If the Wings lose, I’m going to be so pissed off. I want to cry. Who was guarding Hemsky? Man. Oilers 4, Wings 3
End of Third Period: Oilers 4, Wings 3
(Edmonton outshot Detroit, 13-9)
Overall
- I am so fricking upset. It would be one thing if we lost because the Wings played poorly / the Oilers played great. But that didn’t happen - that third goal never should’ve happened. The Wings played mediocre for those first two goals, but I am sooo pissed off about the third.
- The Wings deserved that game. Ahhhh. I can’t even talk right now. I’m so upset and frustrated. And I am asking all Oilers fans to please not leave a comment and gloat because I am so upset about tonight’s game. I’m not an idiot thinking that the Wings deserved to win all the games, they got themselves into this precarious position. But, tonight’s game is a different matter.
- And now I have to drive down to Cinci tomorrow morning to prepare for an incredibly sucky surgery on Wednesday. Man this totally sucks. I want to hurt something - ugh.
Stats
- Detroit outshot Edmonton, 36-30.
- Detroit went 1/6 on the PP / Edmonton went 2/6 on the PP
- Edmonton won 62% of the face-offs. Wow.
- Edmonton defeats the President’s Trophy winners in the series, 4-2.
Final Thoughts Tonight
- I’ll post some more tomorrow morning before I head to Cinci after I’ve had the night to sleep on it. (Mainly I’ll talk about who needs to go and who should stay…)
- If that was Yzerman’s last game…I don’t even want to think about it. Please don’t retire Yzie.
- I would not want to be Ken Holland right now - he has a lot of work to do this off-season with this great regular season / early round playoff exit team mess.
- I want to say congrats to the Oilers; they played with passion and pounced on all the Wings mistakes. Roloson played a great series and really kept them in tonight’s game. While I won’t be cheering for the Oilers in future playoff rounds, they did pull off an upset and it was not by luck.
- Until the team learns to play a full 60 minutes of hockey in the playoff games, we’re going to always be booted out in an early round. This whole series the Wings struggled to play 40 solid minutes per game, much less 60.
- Someone on the LGW forum brought up a good thought, we may have been screwed over by a ref’s bad call (or two or three or four) but the Wings had many chances and could never capitalize. There has been bad reffing throughout the entire series; the Wings need to learn to rise above it and still win these games.
- Tonight’s costly errors in defense cost the Wings those first two Oilers goals - not the refs. What happened to our coverage? While I totally disagree with the third goal standing, our coverage on the other three goals was just awful. I’m not placing complete blame on Manny. He had to deal with a breakaway, poor defensive coverage, and the puck being kicked in. He certainly wasn’t great (like we needed him to be), but he was not the whole reason we lost tonight in my opinion.
Absolute Frustration
My world has been turned upside down with the Detroit sports scenario. Everything I once knew about Detroit sports teams is fading away and it all happened this past Saturday. Here’s why…
1) The Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins, 18-1, on Saturday.. The Detroit Tigers scored 18 runs. How in the world did that happen? The Tigers are now 15-9. That’s not an amazing record, but considering the past few seasons - it’s a miracle!
2) Saturday was NFL Draft Day. Over the past few years, the Detroit Lions have drafted wide receivers. These players would then sign for millions of dollars and then wouldn’t be able to catch half of Joey’s passes (even his good ones). Many people expected for USC’s quarterback, Matt Leinart, to be one of the first five drafted in this year’s first round. Well, the Lions had the #9 pick and Leinart was still available. We had the option to pick up this great QB. I know the Lions have just signed two QBs, but they are only mediocre - nothing amazing. And even if we didn’t keep Leinart, we could’ve traded him to someone with a lower pick in exchange for Ernie Sims (the guy we actually drafted) and a lower round draft pick. But no, Millen has no balls whatsoever. Ugh. Why do I watch every single Lions game even though I know they are going to lose and suck it up majorly.
Ernie Sims is a Florida State linebacker who has had 5 concussions - five - in college! Plus, he’s only 5′11″, and we used our first pick to get this guy? We need a franchise quarterback; someone to save this team from the hell it’s currently in. Leinart was available and we passed!
As with most drafts, though, there will probably be critics. Two quarterbacks, Leinart and Vanderbilt’s Jay Cutler, were selected with the following two picks and Millen said the Lions had a few trade conversations.But they were sold on Sims.
“Sometimes when the right guy is there for you, you don’t move around, he may not be there,” Marinelli said. “When you get the right guy and we all feel good about him, you make those picks.”
Sims was also arrested on a domestic violence charge last summer and ended up pleading no contest to reduced charge. He admitted that was a mistake and said, “I put it behind me.”
The other two draft picks Detroit made yesterday are:
- Second Round (#40 overall): Safety from Nebraska
- Third Round (#74 overall): Wisconsin’s running back
3) The Pistons lost their playoff game, 124 - 104. They still lead the series, 2-1. I’m not really worried about them and their playoff future; however, it was too much for me to take. A Wings and Pistons loss all in one afternoon/evening and I had to watch both of them (but really only the 2nd half of the Pistons game).
The 124 points were the most allowed by the Pistons in a regulation playoff game since they gave up 123 to Atlanta in 1991.”I wasn’t frustrated by what they did,” Ben Wallace said. “It was frustrating the way we were playing. We were pounding the ball down to Sheed (Rasheed Wallace) in the post early, then we went away from it. We tried to do it the hard way. We got stagnant, man. Sheed was going, we should have rode that all the way.”
4) The Wings are one loss away from playoff elimination. One bloody loss!Here are reactions from Wings, Oilers, and other hockey fans from Saturday’s game…
Alanah and Jeff @ Vancouver Canucks Op Ed:
Alliterative Red Wing Fan Poetry: On the Wings is “disgusted†and Behind the Jersey is “depressed, discouraged, disappointed, disenchanted, downhearted, down, and desolateâ€. Guys, take your fingers off the trigger and breathe. Detroit is certainly capable of winning two straight. (But could someone tell Manny Legace to please shut up?)
Speaking of VCOE, they have been doing playoff jokes on the various teams since the start of the playoffs. For every team they posted a joke on, that team won 6 of 7 games. So I left them this comment: “I think it’s time for you to do a Detroit joke on Monday. We have to win that game and with your pretty decent success rate, it’s time to give it a try. Please!”So for the sake of the Wings, please send any Detroit Red Wings jokes to Alanah and Jeff (email: vancouvercanucks oped (at) gmail .com) and they will post them sometime tomorrow. Here was their response to my request: “Well, Christy, since you’re begging…! Yup, Detroit’s on the list. But that means that some of you people need to (anonymously or otherwise) send me some good Red Wings jokes! P.S. The irony of asking Red Wings fans to send me Red Wings jokes is truly fabulous.”
Matt Saler @ On the Wings:
As far as big games go, I don’t remember a more uninspired performance by the Wings. I don’t understand why they couldn’t get up to play a full game in front of their fans (I suppose the tomb-like atmosphere at the Joe has something to do with that) and when they had a chance to take the lead in the series. The Oilers played great and maybe still would have won, but if the Wings had even played to half of their ability, I wouldn’t feel so ripped off by this game. They put up a performance like this and I’m supposed to get all excited about Game 6? I’m supposed to have hope that they’ll actually show up to play in Edmonton? Why couldn’t they do it yesterday?They’ve been down 3-2 in a series before but that was in 2002 and it was a completely different team. That team knew how to win big games. This team seems to have forgotten. Sure, the series technically isn’t over but they are going to have to play out of their minds Monday night if they even want a chance at winning. I know Edmonton will “bring it” but will the Wings?
I’m not ready for another early exit. I waited two years for this? I’m tired of getting my hopes up only to have the Wings fall flat on their faces.
Helene St. James @ Detroit Free Press:
Those Red Wings. They storm through the regular season scoring on everyone, and now here they are in the playoffs, and like in previous years, goals are a problem.Despite battering Dwayne Roloson in the first period Saturday the Wings could not break him, and then the Oilers broke them. Spotting any opponent three goals in the playoffs is dangerous, and when it is to a team as good defensively as Edmonton, it is flirting with disaster. The Wings lost, 3-2, at Joe Louis Arena in Game 5 of their first-round series, and now they must win Monday night at Edmonton, or face a third straight disappointing playoff run.
Saturday’s game was the first time I thought to myself, “Wow, this Roloson is really keeping Edmonton in the game.” That thought was during the first period; after that, it only got worse.As always, IwoCPO at Abel to Yzerman has some great thoughts regarding Saturday’s game:
But at some point, and it has to be Monday, the Wings have to gel again. Leaders have to sacrifice. Defensemen have to strengthen their games. Goalies have to erase their memories and young stars need to explode. It can’t be one or two of those factors. It has to be all of them, happening at once on Monday night.Is it likely? Maybe not. But it’s certainly possible. Edmonton has a chance to kill this thing, to crush the windpipe. How will they react? We’ll see.
He also brought up Mikael Samuelsson’s playoff performance and that he had recently signed a three year deal with the Wings. I had totally forgotten and I’m so frustrated with the deal now…
Does the date March 25th mean anything to you? Let me help. That’s the day Mikael Samuelsson signed a nice 3-year deal. Anyone want to guess how many goals he’s scored since then? 2. Thanks.
Mike at Covered in Oil:
Ah, but this is where Dwayne Roloson’s .935 SV% shimmers like sparkling wine. It’s not like Roloson is making supersick saves in a 1997 Curtis Joseph sense; but he’s definitely looking more calm and assertive than he ever has in his 20-25 games as an Oiler. His glove hand looked good, and if he popped out any rebounds Roli managed to keep them clear from the high slot. His little eyes-shut zen meditation thing between plays seems to work, and more importantly it’s miles away from the scared flailing that passed for goaltending early in the season.
Yzerman and MacLean practice today
The Captain, Steve Yzerman, took part in today’s short practice at Rexall Place in Edmonton. I expect for Yzerman to play on Monday (Game #6 at 8pm) since it’s an elimination game. He couldn’t tell the reporters if he would play tomorrow night at that point in time.
“I feel better than two days ago,” Yzerman said. “I’m encouraged. Hopefully I’ll feel even better for game time tomorrow.”Asked if tonight being an elimination game will factor into his decision to play, Yzerman said, “Oh, no question. No question. It’s pretty simple, really, if I feel I can be an effective player, I’ll play and if I don’t, then I’m not going to play. If I’m ready to play then I will and if not, then I’ll have to step aside.”
I just hope that he will play and Yzerman’s last game at the Joe won’t be Game #2, which was the last playoff game I attended.Additionally, the Wings called Donald MacLean, “the Grand Rapids Griffins forward who scored 56 goals this season in the AHL,” on Saturday night. Upon which, he flew to Edmonton and practiced with the Wings. MacLean has only played with the Wings three times this season, but his first goal came on the power play against the Oilers on April 11.
Game #5: Oilers 3, Wings 2
I watched the game at Dockside Sports Pub in Ft. Myers Beach with about 9-12 other Wings fans; I was shocked to see such a large “crowd” at a random sports pub in Florida. The comments made during each period were what I wrote down while watching the game. So these are during the game reactions…Anyways, the game sucked. I’m depressed, discouraged, disappointed, disenchanted, downhearted, down, and desolate. The Wings have to head to Edmonton with a 2-3 series deficit. Not cool whatsoever.
There are three things that scare me in this series:
1) The second period. Is it just me, or do the Wings find a way to suck it up in the second period? Edmonton scored all three goals in this afternoon’s second and I’m pretty sure Detroit sucks in the second period this series.
2) Our penalty kill. Sure we had some nice 5-on-3 kills in Game #4, but the Oilers seem to always score on one of their first few power plays.
3) Chris Pronger. He’s averaging 36:41 minutes per game this series and got an assist on all three Oilers’ goals this afternoon
First Period
- To start the game off, Willy pummeled some Oiler behind the Oilers net - my check of the game.
- During a Wings power play, Homer was alone in front of Roloson, but couldn’t find a way to get the puck in the back of the net.
- There was a 4 on 3 for about a minute producing some good scoring chances for the Wings, but no goal.
- We’re looking pretty good because we’re applying a lot of pressure and thus getting some scoring opportunities. Manny has made some key saves, but hasn’t had to deal with a lot of shots thus far in the game.
- With 3:30 left in the first, we’ve gone 0/4 on the power play.
End of First Period: Wings 0, Oilers 0
(Detroit outshot Edmonton, 11-4)
Second Period
- Chris Pronger takes a shot from inside the blue line whereupon Fernando Pisani flicks it into the back of the Wings net 5:16 into the second period. The Oilers have six 5 on 5 goals this series. I can’t believe we have been controlling this game and then the Oilers get the first goal. Ugh. The second period is always our downfall. Oilers 1, Wings 0
- I’m enjoying this NBC feed much more than the CBC one on Thursday night. At least they aren’t extremely biased in either direction…or so it seems.
- With 11:26 left in the second, Stoll took a shot from the center of the face-off circle to Manny’s right. The shot deflects off Ryan Smyth’s leg and goes behind Manny into the net. Oilers 2, Wings 0
- The Joe is embarassingly quiet. Rexall’s crowd puts the Joe’s to shame.
- While it’s 4 on 4, Shawn Horcoff just “poked and jammed away” (according to an NBC broadcaster) to score the Oilers’ third goal of the game with 7:24 left in the second. Oilers 3, Wings 0
- Manny made a nice save when Torres went on a breakaway.
- A guy’s wife in the pub is the granddaughter of former Wings goalie Terry Sawchuk; unfortunately, her presence did not grant us any luck.
- 1:21 left in the period, Shanny gets on a breakaway and actually gets a goal!!!! An absolute miracle since he’s had zero offense previously. The Wings can still do it since they are only down two goals at this point. However, I believe it was Draper who tripped some Oiler, which should’ve been called a penalty but then resulted in Shanny’s breakaway. Like I said before, I’ll take any goal we can get (tainted or not).
- An Oilers shot hit the post - thank goodness that didn’t go in.
End of Second Period: Oilers 3, Wings 1
(Emonton outshot Detroit, 11-10)
Third Period
- It’s not looking good. We really didn’t come out flying - not a good sign.
- Roloson made a really nice save on a Shanny/Draper rush (Shanny shot?) to maintain the Oilers two goal lead.
- With 21.5 seconds left in the game, Henrik Zetterberg scores to give the Wings and fans a tiny minute chance of tying this game up. Datsyuk and Holmstrom were given the assists.
- They left Manny in goal and then called a timeout. I believe they still left Manny in net. Why wouldn’t you pull Manny? We needed that extra man! Please let me know if I am incorrect and that they in fact pulled Manny at that point in the game.
End of Third Period: Oilers 3, Wings 2
(Detroit outshot Edmonton, 11-4)
Overall Stats
- Detroit had 32 total shots on goal / Edmonton only had 19 shots
- There were 10 total penalties in the game (6 on the Oilers / 4 on the Wings)
- Only one penalty came in the final period of the game, while six penalties came in the first period
- Detroit won 61% of the face-offs
- The three stars of the game were (in order from 1 to 3) Chris Pronger, Dwayne Roloson, and Brendan Shanahan.
- Detroit went 0/6 on the power play and killed 3 of 4 penalties.